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Sat, 28 Jun 2008, 11:32 AM

Competition Eliminator Round 1 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

NORWALK, Ohio - Results of round 1 eliminations in Competition Eliminator at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Second annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals:


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed
   33 Gary Merrick                           31 Robert Bailey                
E1                   0.062  7.472 177.21     ****WINNER****  0.064  6.748 180.09
       C/ED Index: 7.87 (+/-): -0.398            A/ED Index: 7.22 (+/-): -0.472
 Qualified:            #33  7.493 -0.377                       #14  6.735 -0.485

10:43 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 79 degrees, relative humidity 69 percent, barometer 28.83 inches, adjusted altitude 3,459 feet, track temperature 95 degrees.
Merrick was in as an alternate for Keith Roberts.

Nice wheels-up launch by Merrick, but Bailey ran him down with ease. Robert Bailey's MOV: 0.0726 seconds (approximately 19 feet).


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed
 7910 Frank Cervelli                        452 Steven Kent                  
E1                   0.043  7.173 186.20     ****WINNER****  0.028  7.907 171.45
       C/DA Index: 7.63 (+/-): -0.457             E/A Index: 8.36 (+/-): -0.453
 Qualified:            #11  7.126 -0.504                       #27  7.926 -0.434

Steven Kent's MOV: 0.0113 seconds (approximately 3 feet).


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed
  394 Greg Kamplain                           5 Jason Coan                   
E1                   0.098  7.160 186.30     ****WINNER****  0.043  8.388 153.84
       C/DA Index: 7.63 (+/-): -0.470            G/EA Index: 8.89 (+/-): -0.502
 Qualified:            #20  7.164 -0.466                        #4  8.316 -0.574


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed
 3015 Bill Yates                            353 Bruno Massel                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.014  7.187 153.30                     0.068  8.198 179.09
       A/ED Index: 7.22 (+/-): -0.033           DD/AT Index: 8.05 (+/-):  0.148
 Qualified:            #17  6.743 -0.477                        #1  7.437 -0.613

Massel's turbo car was way off the early pace with a 1.259 and there was a lot of smoke in the shutdown area, with some oil on the track past the finish line.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed
  346 Mike Farrell                           18 Charlie Greco                
E1                   0.046  8.925 104.56     ****WINNER****  0.057  7.793 173.12
       A/EA Index: 7.90 (+/-):  1.025            D/AA Index: 8.28 (+/-): -0.487
 Qualified:            #28  7.476 -0.424                       #12  7.780 -0.500

Farrell got the better light, but his car nosed over around half track and Greco cruised to an easy win. He races Coan next round.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed
 3068 Steve Ambrose                        3002 Pat Ross                     
E1                  -0.061  8.564 116.06     ****WINNER****  0.059  8.340 142.15
       J/AA Index: 8.40 (+/-):  0.164             F/A Index: 8.68 (+/-): -0.340
 Qualified:             #7  7.849 -0.551                       #23  8.232 -0.448

Ambrose just could not wait...


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed
    1 Frank Aragona                         330 Brian Browell                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.027  8.625 123.24                    -0.007  8.388 108.12
       G/EA Index: 8.89 (+/-): -0.265             D/D Index: 7.82 (+/-):  0.568
 Qualified:            #24  8.445 -0.445                        #8  7.269 -0.551

Browell went red and Aragona had an easy pass to round two.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed
   23 Larry Pritchett                      5185 Russ Kelly                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.040  8.367 136.26                    -0.020  6.918 191.35
       B/SM Index: 8.68 (+/-): -0.313            A/AP Index: 7.32 (+/-): -0.402
 Qualified:            #15  8.198 -0.482                       #31  6.927 -0.393

Kelly waited, hesitated, then went red anyway. Pritchett races Ross in round two.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed
    4 Craig Bourgeois                      2229 Lonnie Johnson               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.042  7.128 185.05                     0.025  7.144 193.05
       B/ND Index: 7.65 (+/-): -0.522            B/AA Index: 7.64 (+/-): -0.496
 Qualified:             #2  7.045 -0.605                       #18  7.171 -0.469

Good drag race, but Bourgeois had enough steam to take the win, paying a small CIC penalty for the honor. Craig Bourgeois' MOV: 0.0095 seconds (approximately 3 feet).


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed
   53 Tom Schmidt                           351 Larry Morgan                 
E1                   0.010  8.595 159.08     ****WINNER****  0.045  7.143 188.91
        C/T Index: 8.97 (+/-): -0.375             B/A Index: 7.65 (+/-): -0.507
 Qualified:            #22  8.522 -0.448                        #6  7.087 -0.563

There's a lot of speculation about why Morgan is racing in Comp here - the story I heard was that it was cheaper than renting a track to scrub in tires for his Pro Stock car. Might not be true, but it's possible.

Schmidt cut the tree down and Morgan still ran him down for the win. He races Robert Bailey next round.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed
   17 Al Ackerman                             8 Sal Biondo                   
E1                   0.112  8.217 162.43     ****WINNER****  0.033  8.364 151.27
        F/D Index: 8.69 (+/-): -0.473            I/AA Index: 8.79 (+/-): -0.426
 Qualified:            #10  8.176 -0.514                       #26  8.354 -0.436

Sal Biondo's MOV: 0.0324 seconds (approximately 8 feet). He races Bourgeois in round two.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed
 2885 David Rampy                          3864 Scott Chamness               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.030  7.599 149.78                     0.147  6.707 204.17
       A/EA Index: 7.90 (+/-): -0.301             A/D Index: 7.04 (+/-): -0.333
 Qualified:             #5  7.335 -0.565                       #21  6.591 -0.449

Rampy had an easy time of it.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed
 213A Anthony Bertozzi                     3718 Terry Smith                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.073  8.060 163.61                     0.043  7.609 173.16
       B/SR Index: 8.48 (+/-): -0.420            D/ED Index: 7.99 (+/-): -0.381
 Qualified:            #13  7.987 -0.493                       #29  7.592 -0.398

Anthony Bertozzi's MOV: 0.0093 seconds (approximately 2 feet).


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed
  357 Rick Brown                           143Y Doug Doll Jr.                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.016  8.459 147.86                     0.022  8.442 154.85
       B/TA Index: 8.93 (+/-): -0.471            F/ED Index: 8.83 (+/-): -0.388
 Qualified:             #9  8.387 -0.543                       #25  8.389 -0.441

Bertozzi faces Rampy in round two.Two good lights, but Brown's truck was quicker than Doll's dragster. Brown races Yates in the second round.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed
  373 Ray Vierheller III                     16 Arnie Martel                 
E1                   0.195 12.462  63.24     ****WINNER****  0.037  8.014 146.77
       D/ED Index: 7.99 (+/-):  4.472            B/SR Index: 8.48 (+/-): -0.466
 Qualified:            #19  7.524 -0.466                        #3  7.899 -0.581

Vierheller was late, lifted around half track. Martel races Kent in round two.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed
   14 Stephen Szupka                       1136 Peter Biondo                 
E1                   0.058  8.346 158.67     ****WINNER****  0.004  7.905 169.68
       F/ED Index: 8.83 (+/-): -0.484            B/EA Index: 8.34 (+/-): -0.435
 Qualified:            #16  8.351 -0.479                       #32  7.948 -0.392

Last pair. The winner races Aragona next round. Biondo had a great light and his best run of the weekend, beating Szupka's best run of the weekend and he will try to take out the other Aragona car next round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink